A New Beginning
by Quantom Quak
Summary: The death of a young heroine can be tragic, especially if she has curses on her soul and a mysterious bloodline. A lot of game references with a few of my own characters. Rated M for mature themes and possible later chapters.


Hi, everyone! This is my first Fic on this site. It takes a new look at our favorite MMO and adds a new plot and a dark twist. Tell me what you think. There's always room for improvement.

Disclaimer: I don't own RuneScape, Jagex does. The only characters I own are the ones I create.

_DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! Why in the name of Guthix would I take a quest like this?_

Ellie tried to keep her thoughts straight as she ran from a very big, very green, very angry dragon. Elvrag shot a hot blast of fire from his mouth and Ellie hoisted her shield over her back to absorb the burn.  
"Shit!" She cursed. The blast hurled her forward. She landed on the ground and did a roll. She got up in just enough time to see that she was trapped. Plummet of death to her right, fiery demise to her left, path of demons behind her. _Shit. What am I going to do? It's death any way I look at it! It's gonna be hell trying to get my gravestone items back, what should I do? Ugg. I can't believe I'm going to do this._  
Ellie took a huge step back and equipped her Rune two-handed sword. Elvrag rose his head and was about to breathe fire. Ellie was about to swing at the dragons neck, when two arrows sprouted from it's side. The massive beast craned it's punctured neck and looked at it's new foe.  
"HEY!" Ellie yelled to the leather clad stranger. "SOMEONE ELSE IS FIGHTING THAT!" But the ranger didn't seem to care. He rapidly fired arrows into the dragons scaled chest.  
"ROOAAR!" the dragon let out a dry scream, gasping for air. The archer carefully took aim one last time and fired. The arrow sailed into the dragons heart. The dragon bellowed its last roar, and fell to the ground. As the carcass disappeared, Ellie saw the items that it dropped. Bones, hide, coins, and a head. Ellie ran over and picked up the head along with the other items. The ranger walked over, and he looked angry.  
"Hey, where are my items? I killed that damn monster!" The ranger took off his metal coif. He looked like he had been running a lot.  
"Actually, sir," Ellie said, unsure of the man, "I started attacking Elvrag about a half hour ago. His items are mine, I attacked him first. The Champions Guild sent me."  
"Well aren't you a lucky one," the man replied "I need those items for another quest."  
"Oh, sorry." Ellie said, now relieved. "Here, have my armor and the bones. I get some coins and experience back at the Guild, so I won't be needing these." Ellie unequipped her dark green armor and handed it to the man. Ellie was 5'5 and had burgundy hair in a fringe. Under her armor, she had on black and dark blue stealthy gear with charcoal colored buckled leggings. She took the bones out from her backpack and offered them.  
"I don't need this. I've worked too hard for this. The dragon is gone, and I need the head. Give it to me." The man seemed to be getting angry. Ellie didn't want trouble.  
"Just gimme the head and no harm will come of you."  
"I would sir, but it's against the law to trade quest items, and I can't give you this valuable of an item." Ellie was now getting very worried. Her eyes widened as the strange man reached into his belt and pulled out a red dagger.  
"Well then, it seems I'll just have to take it from you." He rushed forward.  
_Looks like I'll have to rely on my agility for this one. _Ellie was getting worried. The attacker kept taking massive swipes at her, only narrowly missing, and occasionally ripping her clothes. The thick red metal made clanging sounds against the clips on her pants, and she noticed a rhythm to her attackers swipes, a pattern. *Swipe, swipe, jab, cut, lunge.* Over and over. Ellie learned that if she leaned in the direction of the attack, the next one would go the opposite direction. Unfortunately for Ellie, the man was not dumb. He quickly noticed what she was doing, and *RIP!* Ellie saw the change a second too late. He stopped the pattern and cut her side. The right side of her gear fell apart, and blood started to ooze from the deep gash he had made. Ellie lost her balance and the attacker lunged in with all his force. The dagger stuck hard into Ellie's right shoulder, near her collarbone.

Ellie collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the fight and feint from the blood loss. She looked down at her body. Her entire right side was covered in blood from the gashes, and her leggings had been torn and broken from the daggers massive power. The buckles were loose and part of the soft leather had been released about halfway down her thigh. Ellie clutched her exposed chest with one arm, while her hand tried to stop the bleeding on her shoulder. The only intact parts of her clothing were the hardleather plate that covered the top of her shoulders and her light brown headband. She turned to look at the man, splattered with blood and laughing maniacally. He slowly walked towards Ellie. He used his foot to kick her over onto her back. Ellie could see a fire in the deranged mans eyes. He used his free arm to grab Ellie by the front of her shirt and hoist her against the cave wall. He raised the hand with his dagger and cut away the remainder of Ellie's shirt. He cut her twice on the face under her eye and on her cheek. Ellie began to whimper. _No, NO! This can't be happening to me!_

The psychotic man reached down and unbuckled the remainder of Ellie's leggings. The black, soaked cloth fell away and Ellie was completely naked, save her shoulder padding. Ellie was crying now. She was in intense pain. Her vision was blurry and she could not struggle at all. Her legs would have given way if she wasn't leaning against the cliff face. She had lost all feeling and control of her right arm, and her head hung low. All her runes were in her backpack, twenty feet away. The man pulled down his brown trousers. Ellie couldn't look. She shut her eyes and prayed to Guthix for it to end. She felt the stranger enter her and she cast her head back and cried silent tears. She couldn't feel it, she was so weak. She knew it was wrong. Her body was shaking and she could see everything getting darker. The man hit her on the side of her head.

"Tired, are we?" The man was crazy. Ellie could still see and hear, but her other senses were dull, except for the taste of blood in her mouth. The wicked man was laughing hard and still thrusting into Ellie. Ellie was screaming now, for anyone. Her body was drenched in sweat, blood, and tears. She saw the man take his dagger out once more, and started making cuts on her body. Her blood was flowing slowly now, there wasn't much left. Her vision got cloudy. _No. I knew I was going to die today. When he killed the dragon, I thought I was saved. I thought I was going to die before. I knew I couldn't avoid it. I don't want to die. Not like this. Not now._ The man slid out of Ellie and spurted his hot seed all over Ellie. Ellie fell to the ground and stayed still. She had lost all hope. The man just kept groping her. After a few minutes, the man stopped, removed the head from Ellie's brown backpack, and turned towards her.

"Thanks for the great time, doll. Who knew questing would be so...rewarding." The man had a grin on his face. An evil triumphant smile. He walked over to Ellie, positioned his foot over her neck, and stomped down.

The blackness swirled around Ellie. She could tell she should be cold, but her body had no response. She was completely naked. All her clothing was gone. Her hair fell loose around her face. The ground beneath her was solid, but it was the same color as everything else. It was only then that she realised she was conscious. _What happened? I was on the quest, Elvrag drove me from the cave, and that archer...Oh!_ Ellie was shocked as all the details came back to her, and as they did, Ellie saw them in the black mist. Ellie checked her body for bruises or cuts, but nothing was there. _Am I...Dead?_

"Why yes. Welcome to my home."

Ellie looked up. In front of her, a grey, hooded figure sat in a throne. The rest of the scene began to grow around it, like the being itself was a light. Ellie realised she was standing, when moments ago, it seemed like she was suspended. A black robe began to grow around her, and she realised she could feel the cool, silk, fabric. Every second, she could see better, and her senses heightened.

"Hello Ellian Varze. I am Death." Said Death. "What do you think brings you here?"

"Did I...die?" Asked Ellie, cautiously.

"Why yes," replied Death, "in quite the unorthodox way, might I add. We haven't had...one of your cases in quite a while. A year or two, perhaps."

"Why didn't I just go to Lumbrige or Falador? I've had friends that have died before. If it wasn't so painful, I think it'd be something that everyone does."

"Ah, questions. The best way I can explain this to be is that our realm has a complex spirit-to-body aging system. They can often interfere with one another, and in some cases magic mixes in and you get a big complicated mess. An on rare occasions, bloodlines, curses, and nature could get in the way. You dear, are everything."

"Wh...What?"

"Yes, my dear. We have a big mess right here. We need to get some things sorted out. First of all, let's take into account your untimely demise via another human. He looted you, so you will NOT be getting any items back."

"What? Not even valuable ones?" Ellie was confused. She always heard that a human, or any living thing that died got their three most valuable possessions back that they had with them at the time of their death.

"No items, try to keep up, dear. Now, first order: Body. Your body was beaten badly and you were pretty cut up. We should get you a new one."

"A new body? Can you do that?" Ellie was very confused now.

"Of course I can. Granted it will look slightly different, some new eyes and perhaps freckles, but that's the small stuff. Then, we must tend to your soul. Yours has had corruption. When Elvrag was slain, his last act was a curse of impurity on you. Since this is Dragon Magic, I may not meddle, but I can repair." Ellie felt a tug at her body. It felt like she was deflating through every part of her body. She saw a blue light near Death, and assumed this was her soul.

"Ah, I see. I will remove as much as I can, but you have another curse on you I may not explain now. I will keep your life force, memories, thoughts, and personality, but doing so has a cost. Slight behavioral changes will occur, along with a minor case of madness, but I will cover this in anxiety and adventurism. And, voila! One slightly cursed, madness infested soul."

The blue light shot back towards Ellie and she absorbed her soul. It was only then that she noticed the door.

"Thanks Death, but I really should go now." Ellie turned towards the door and started to walk, only to be stopped by a magic force. Death's magic dragged her across the room back to the throne.

"Hang on there, sweetie. I still need to look at your bloodline."

"I'm from a family of thieves and crooks. I have no bloodline."

"Oh, that is where you are wrong. Looking at your blood, I see that there is royalty. I see the blood of Sir Amik Varze. A noble hero. And your mother...oh. Well, we'll see about that."

"What?" Now Ellie was curious.

"Many things cannot be revealed now, my dear Ellie. For now, you must go. Oh, and the RBA* tells me they regret to inform you that all your items in your bank have been repossessed, due to a curse on your soul, corrupting their system." Ellie felt herself fading.

"Which of the two? Elvrag's or the other?"

"I'm sorry," said Death apologetically, "did I only mention two, there are four. Now if you excuse me, I have a Black Zabbath concert to attend to. Bye!"

And with that, everything went black. Again.

When Ellie woke up, she wasn't sure of where she was. She was hardly sure she woke up at all. She didn't feel...whole. It felt like a part of her was missing. All the life that she seemed to ironically possess at Death's mansion had left her. When she was awake, she was often spaced out and inattentive. She would wander aimlessly around...wherever she was and then realize she was somewhere else. Ellie couldn't seem to identify the town she was in. Definitely western Geilenor, maybe northern. Ellie also could not bring herself to sleep. When she did, she had nightmares about her death. It always seemed to haunt her.

Ellie kept telling herself she needed to focus. Ellie needed to do something, anything, to get her back into the swing of life. For the past few days, Ellie had been waking up in a small, wooden shack, no larger than a stock room at a General Store. In the corner was a iron dagger, which she assumed she stole, and a small pile of gold pieces. Along with these, she noticed, was a small piece of paper. One morning, she crawled over to the corner and picked it up. On it, there was a message in official handwriting:

**An Important Letter Regarding Ellian Varze**

My Dear Ellie,

How are you holding up? Not too well, I assume. Your soul is still very raw and very corrupted. The soul will patch itself up in time, but the curses will stay. I have some advice for you, and when you feel up to it, start checking off your task list. First of all, you should meet your father, Sir Amik Varze. The White Knight Leader and the current King of Asgarnia. Second, start skilling and questing again. I know it will take some time, but your new soul and body should help you with that. Then, I need you to do me a favor. There is a gnome I want you to see. He has information vital to both you and me. Ta ta!

_That just makes me depressed. _Ellie wasn't getting better. She felt even worse each day. When she was not conscious of what she was doing, things just seemed to get weirder. One afternoon, or morning? Ellie couldn't remember. Ellie snapped out of her trance and grabbed some coins. She then staggered off to find the local tavern. Ellie walked for what could have been minutes or hours. The sky seemed darker than usual. Ellie looked up at the sign. **The Bitter Barrel**, the sign read. Ellie sighed and walked in.

Ellie figured she must have looked like shit. She had no idea what she had been doing for the last...however long it was. _How long have I been alive for? How long have I lived in my new body? _Her black silk robes looked intact, but she hadn't looked in a mirror in what seemed like ages.

"I said what'll you have?" The voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Ellie raised her head and found she was sitting at the bar.

"A glass of your strongest. Make it three, no, five." Ellie replied. She needed something to do, and drinking seemed like a logical choice for her at the time.

"Five Dragon Bitters, coming right up. Twenty-five GP." The Bartender replied. Dragon Bitter. Even the name made Ellie sulk and shudder. She couldn't go five minutes now without thinking of her murder. _I never thought of it like that. I always just called it death. _The bartender set five glass mugs full of a foaming red liquid.

"Careful, lady. This stuff'll make you angry and hateful. It makes you strong, too. A great way to get a drunk temper fast. Not mad at anyone around are you?" The bartenders warning made it clear that she had never been here before. She held a glass of the Bitter in her hand and gave one to the bartender. She raised her mug.

"To bitter times that cannot be forgotten." She clinked glasses with the bartender and downed half her first mug. The drink stung as it went down her throat. It had a sharp taste and a crisp finish. "Keep 'em coming, bartender. I have a long night." Ellie said drearily.

"Any emotion is better than sadness right now."


End file.
